Child soldiers fighting the drug cartels in native Mexican communities. Read the full report here

L'articolo Withstanding drug cartels proviene da InsideOver.

Acapulco is a true tourist paradise. But today armed units patrol the city and murders are a daily occurrence. Read the full report here

L'articolo Acapulco, hell in paradise proviene da InsideOver.

Reportage / Society 10.05.2020

Child Soldiers in the Fight Against Drug Gangs

In the heart of the Guerrero mountains, the Rincon De Chautla village – a handful of houses lived by Nahuatl people – is being threatened by a criminal gang, Los Ardillos.After attempting to ally with the community police, Los Ardillos…

Alfredo Bosco

Before children, women – the wives and sisters of men killed by Los Ardillos – had decided to take up arms, causing the Guerrero government great concern as they are totally unable to confront this tragedy. The response came in the form of a check point near the village, however the soldiers are too few should they be attacked by well-equipped gangs.
In Guerrero the community police forces are tolerated despite being illegal. Those living in the more remote villages will not accept being left without protection against criminal groups such as Los Ardillos in the Chilapa area, Los Rojos of Chilpancingo, the Guerrero Unidos, the Tequileros, not to mention the more powerful cartels such as that of Sinaloa and the  Familia Michoacan.

The internal war which makes Guerrero one of the most dangerous territories in the whole of Mexico stems from the opium poppy market. The districts of Centro, Tierra Caliente and Montaña are the money producing areas of the Mexican cartels. In 2018 alone the army eradicated 84,000 square metres of cultivated lands despite the fact the market was stalling. Another sore point are the gold mines, also in the mountainous areas, and which immediately become the target of criminal gangs. Taking control of the streets and occupying villages is a way for gangs to consolidate their power and the reason behind their threats to villagers. If they are not willing to give up or leave, war breaks out and daily violence the norm.

L'articolo Child Soldiers in the Fight Against Drug Gangs proviene da InsideOver.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life for nearly everyone, drug cartels included. A recent Foreign Policy report chronicled their plight as they face supply shortages and lower demand. While under normal circumstances a downturn in illicit drug markets would be welcome news, the crisis and desperation have driven drug lords to more extreme measures, resulting in a sharp uptick in violence in several states.

In Mexico, authorities reported 2,500 homicides in March, the state’s highest since record keeping began in 1997. Brazil has also experienced a rise in murders. Whereas it had previously experienced three years of decreases, coronavirus-related drug squabbles saw the tide turn upward 10%. In one Brazilian state, Ceará, the rate nearly doubled in 10 days during March.

The story is the same in El Salvador where a pre-virus decline was reversed due to increased gang violence, which led President Nayib Bukele to permit police to use lethal force.

Difficulties Abound

Challenges facing drug cartels are multifold and none of them are easy to overcome. First, there is a severe drought for ingredients used to cook methamphetamines, cocaine, and fentanyl. Chemicals necessary for their production typically are sourced from China, however the global shutdown has made their acquisition nearly impossible. Factories are closed, planes are grounded, and entire borders are locked shut. Ironically, Wuhan, the location of the initial COVID-19 outbreak, was one of the main suppliers for chemicals used in many illicit drugs.

“The main reason China has been the main supplier is the main reason China is the supplier of everything — it does it so cheaply. There was really no cost incentive for the cartels to develop this themselves,” said Ben Westoff, author of Fentanyl, Inc.

As a result, cartels have moved some production in-house, but basic chemicals are still needed from China, as Insider reported. Furthermore, if gangs manage to produce illicit drugs in the quantities they used to, they now lack the means to transport it to distributors in the US.

The US–Mexico remains closed for nonessential traffic until the end of the month. The reduced traffic flow makes it more difficult to smuggle contraband into America. For the small trickle that does make it across, buyers are now scarce, in part due to the closures of establishments that traditionally facilitated drug transactions — bars, clubs, and hotels — but also because of skyrocketing prices. 

“They are facing a supply problem and a demand problem,” said Alejandro Hope, a security analyst and former official with CISEN, the Mexican intelligence agency. “Once you get them to the market, who are you going to sell to?”

Trying Alternatives

Drug users across the world who would typically purchase hard drugs imported from Latin America are now trying a number of alternatives. Some are dialing back their choice of drug and opting for marijuana, which they can grow themselves, Foreign Policy reported. Others, such as heroine addicts in the UK, have turned to fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times stronger and thus more deadly.

“While less drugs on the street may seem like a good thing, what replaces them is usually more dangerous. We know the purity of many drugs is decreasing as dealers cut them with different substances to increase their bulk. This means people often don’t know what they are taking, increasing the chance of overdose,” said Dr. Rachel Britton, directory of pharmacy at We Are With You, a British drug, alcohol, and mental health charity.

Fentanyl can be produced without a dependence on China, making it a lucrative alternative. Fentanyl also fetches a higher price than methamphetamine.

Different Tactics

Cartels have been raising prices and even hoarding drugs in this period of uncertainty. They’ve also turned to charity work in a bid to increase their soft power among local communities, much like how Pablo Escobar endeared himself with Colombians in the 1970s and ‘80s. 

Alejandrina Guzman, daughter of the infamous drug lord El Chapo, has led food drives for starving Mexicans, personally distributing care packages herself. Other cartels have seized the opportunity as well, thanks to the state’s inefficient social programs, as Deutsche Welle reported.

“Mexico isn’t facing a humanitarian crisis or a shortage of goods,” said Falko Ernst, an analyst with the Crisis Group which focuses on Mexico. “Mexican cartels are using the current situation to strengthen their social base.”

Other cartels are diversifying their talents by dabbling in cyber crime, which continues to increase. COVID-19 has forced them to generate new sources of income as traditional revenue streams dry up.

While they try and survive, violence will only increase, particularly as governments are locked down and preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic. The opportunity is there for cartels to wreck more havoc than usual and the economic crisis gives them a compelling reason to do so. 

From manufacturing different types of drugs to hoarding supplies and fighting among one another, cartels are keeping busy. Ultimately, unless Latin American governments rededicate themselves to fighting drug syndicates, underground operations could become stronger when the pandemic ends. In a survival of the fittest, the ones who remain will be more deadly and efficient than cartels of the past. Thanks to their charitable outreach, they may even have more support among the general populace, and possibly even gain political power.

L'articolo Drug Cartels Become Deadlier Amid Pandemic Problems proviene da InsideOver.

Reportage / Society 06.05.2020

Acapulco, hell in paradise

In the crystal-clear waters of a bay in the Pacific Ocean, Elizabeth Taylor smiled ecstatically at the beauty of a city whose name to her and many other Hollywood celebrities was synonymous with Paradise: Acapulco. Today Acapulco, the most important…

Alfredo Bosco

But the dismembered bodies of victims not involved in criminal activities can also be found along the coast. “Things worsen over the weekend. We get more tourists, but we also receive more reports on shootings,” declares Paco, a photographer who has been witnessing this weekly massacre for years.
Justice is unable take its course, coming up against a wall of silence. It is extremely rare to find witnesses, even when a victim is found during afternoon hours in the middle of a crowded market. Local reporters themselves put themselves at great risk, rarely do they move autonomously and prefer to travel in groups. They fear trick calls and traps orchestrated by the city’s criminals. “We are constantly in danger, in July they fired at my car, it’s a miracle I’m alive,” Nelson Matus tells his colleagues after having suffered an attack in the neighbourhood he lives in.

Between 2017 and 2018, Mexico sustained a record number of victims due to the war on drug trafficking and criminal gangs. In the State of Guerrero alone there were over 2500 victims in 2018. However, the first months of 2020 appear to be more positive, possibly also thanks to the decision of Obrador’s government to establish a National Guard.  The president of Mexico’s aim was to send a strong signal and he obtained the absolute majority for the institution of a new security body, whose powers will surpass those of the police or the army. According to some, this could be a dangerous game: a democracy with an armed force which can operate through special laws could lead to the violation of human rights.  However president Obrador strongly rejects such accusations.
The ferociousness of the cartels and other groups is atrocious. They do not limit themselves to killing but go so far as to implement what is known as “necropolitics”: the use of power to induce fear in people and taking on the role of judge to decide who lives and who dies in their territory. Dismembered and mutilated bodies, cruel letters to relatives of the victims even going so far as to mock them.

L'articolo Acapulco, hell in paradise proviene da InsideOver.

On the one hand Mexico is a paradise for tourists from all over the world, on the other it is the kingdom of narcos. These are the two faces of this country, where power is guaranteed by killing and the war between drug gangs is recording a remarkable increase in deaths.

So much so that many talk about “necromancy”, of a state ruled over deaths. But there are also those who won’t give in to the violence of gangs, like the inhabitans of  the village of Rincon De Chautla, that is constantly threatened by Los Ardillos.

Here women and children are forced to carry a rifle to defend themselves. Violence calls violence. And now Mexico is a heaven turning into hell.

L'articolo Hell in Mexico proviene da InsideOver.

The United States has further increased pressure on Venezuela’s President Maduro. On Thursday, Maduro was charged with drug trafficking. Moreover, the United States is paying up to $15 million in rewards for his capture as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced.

Details of the Drug Trafficking Charges

Maduro and the other defendants have been charged by the U.S. judiciary with leading a drug trafficking ring since at least 1999. In addition to Maduro, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, the country’s Supreme Judge Maikel Moreno, army officials, and two Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia aka FARC) leaders are also being charged.

The US judiciary has long planned to indict Maduro, according to US Attorney General Bill Barr. Maduro is accused of working with Colombian drug cartels to “flood the United States with cocaine,” which the Justice Department has labeled “narco-terrorism.” The Maduro regime is “full of corruption and crime,” said Barr.

Barr also stated that Maduro and other Venezuelan leaders had worked with the now-defunct Colombian FARC guerrillas for over two decades. The group was responsible for the export up to 250 tons of cocaine across the US border per year.

Prosecutor: Maduro Used Cocaine as a Weapon Against the United States

Chief Prosecutor Geoffrey Berman said Maduro sought to “flood” the US with cocaine to harm the health and wellbeing of the nation. Maduro had deliberately used cocaine as a “weapon” against the USA.

The indictment of a current head of state is a rare occurrence and thus a new apogee of escalation between the US government and the Maduro regime. The United States has repeatedly accused Maduro of turning his own country into a “drug swamp” to offset US sanctions on the country’s oil sector.

The United States and many allies, including European countries, seek to force Maduro out of the office and instead officially recognized Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s president. Guaido appointed himself interim president in January last year and has been fighting for power with Maduro ever since. A rapid change in Caracas with the help of the Venezuelan military was initially expected. Guaidó denies Maduro’s legitimization as head of state because his re-election did not meet democratic standards. So far, he has not been able to prevail against Maduro, however  ⁠— above all because the Venezuelan military has remained loyal to the president ⁠— as have Russia and China.

The oil-rich Venezuela is in the grip of a dramatic economic crisis under Maduro’s socialist leadership and tough US sanctions, among others against the Venezuelan financial system, the state’s oil company and the Maduro government. Many people have fled the country, while many of those who have remained are suffering under severe poverty.

Maduro: Trump is a ‘Racist Creep’

Maduro responded to the charges by the United States almost immediately and called President Trump a “creep”, a “cowboy” and a “racist” during a televised speech, while also accusing the US president of utilizing extortion methods in international relations. Maduro also denied the charges brought against him. The whole “extremist” indictment was based on “false accusations”, he stated.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza also attacked Donald Trump and accused him of “once again attacking the Venezuelan people and their democratic institutions”. The actions taken by the United States was nothing more than an attempt to commit “a new form of coup d’état”.

The opposition, meanwhile, welcomed the indictment. “Maduro stands for drug trafficking, Maduro stands for organized crime,” said Julio Borges, the country’s representative for opposition leader and president-in-waiting Juan Guaidó.

While it remains highly unlikely that Maduro will ever see the inside of a US courtroom, the measures taken will increase the pressure on him severely. Most importantly, one can rest assured that the indictment will not be the last attempt by the US to unseat Maduro ⁠— indeed, even in the current crisis American policy remains determined to oust Maduro and facilitate a Guaidó presidency.

L'articolo The US Charges Maduro with Narco-Terrorism proviene da InsideOver.

American President Donald Trump wants to categorize Mexican drug cartels as foreign “terrorist organizations”. His announcement came after nine American women and children were killed by members of a drug cartel in Mexico on Nov. 4, 2019. Three women and six children, members of the La Nora Mormon community in Sonora state, Mexico, were killed after their convoy was ambushed in the daytime by cartel members. The victims, who held dual Mexican and American citizenship, were part of a community that farms land in northern Mexico.

“This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth,” Trump tweeted following the attack.

‘The Police Work With The Criminals’

Mexican federal officials announced that they are investigating the possibility that the crime group had mistaken the victims as rival crime groups.

“It’s common knowledge down here that the police work with the criminals,” Julián LeBarón, a cousin of the victims said.

“They have a monopoly on security and they get paid a wage for protection, and later we find out that they participate in the murder of women and children. These people take resources to protect us and they are murderers themselves,” he added.

Mr LeBarón also claimed that authorities arrived at the scene of the crime ten hours later. He added that his brother was murdered ten years ago, after standing up to local gangs.

“I’ve been marching in Mexico and speaking out against the violence, and I have never seen a case where a victim has had justice. The justice system has collapsed. The impunity rate is almost 100 percent,” he said, adding that nobody had been brought to trial for the murder of his brother.

Case Study: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s Drug War

Three years ago, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, declared a war on drugs, winning the election on a platform of strictly conservative ideals. Under Duterte, Filipino police have been given unprecedented power and granted quasi-total impunity to kill suspected drug dealers and drug users. In a July 2018 speech delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives in the Philippines, Duterte said: “the war against illegal drugs is far from over. Where before, the war resulted in the seizure of illegal drugs worth millions of pesos, today, they run [into] billions in peso value.

“This is why the illegal drugs war will not be sidelined. Instead, it will be as relentless and chilling, if you will, as on the day it began. These drug dealers know fully well that their business is against the law. They know the consequences of their criminal acts, especially when caught in flagrante delicto and they violently resist arrest … They know that illegal drugs waste away lives, dysfunctionalize families, and ruin relationships. They know that once hooked, addicts will die slowly – slow deaths. And yet, they persist in doing what they do, oblivious to the terrible harm that they cause to the people and communities,” Duterte added.

Commenting one week later, Rachel Chhoa Howard, Amnesty International’s Philippines Researcher, criticized Duterete’s speech.

“Thousands of people in the Philippines have died as a direct result of President Duterte’s murderous policies, which have mostly targeted the country’s poorest people,” she said, adding that “Duterte’s claim to be a defender of human life is an insult to the families of these victims, especially coming after his public vow to continue the killings, which Amnesty International considers to be a crime against humanity.

“The right to life is a human right and the distinction President Duterte is trying to draw is completely false. While human rights groups have decried the thousands of extrajudicial executions carried out in the guise of an anti-drugs campaign, President Duterte has bragged about the slaughter and actively incited more violence,” Howard added.

The High Cost Of Tolerating Drug Dealers In Society

The criminal and human costs of drug and crime cartels are undeniable, but ruthless violence is not the answer. Duterte and Trump’s political answers to centuries-old social issues are ultra-right-wing responses whereby order is prioritized through totalitarian use of hard power. The failure of totalitarianism is that it prioritizes order above all else—including human life.

Trump’s desire to designate Mexican drug cartel as foreign terrorist organizations is an ultimate power move to increase US jurisdiction over Mexican governance. It increases the possibility of sending more US troops to Mexico, at a time when Trump still hasn’t explained why US troops are present in 53 African countries.

The struggle for power over who combats Mexicans drug and crime cartels will only escalate tensions between the already-strained Mexican-USA relationship.

Earlier this month on Dec. 6, Trump tweeted: “ … will temporarily hold off this designation [to classify Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organisations] and step up our joint efforts to deal decisively with these vicious and ever-growing organizations!”

It shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone that Trump’s promises to fight drug cartels – like Duterte’s – always seem to come just before an election period. Neither is it possible to miss that the US’ demand for drugs is funding a significant part of the Mexican drug cartels. Paul Angelo, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council of Foreign Relations, added to this theory of “shared responsibility” between the US and Mexico.

“If we really accept that we have a shared responsibility – we have a partnership in helping Mexico with all its criminality – then we also have to take responsibility for all the firearms that are flowing out from the United States to Mexico and helping fuel this violence,” Angelo commented.

Trump’s concern with Mexican drug cartels is simply a way n effective to pander to his voters, stay in the Oval Office and consolidate his power.

L'articolo Why Trump Wants To Label Mexican Drug Cartels ‘Terrorist Organizations’ proviene da InsideOver.

Global demand for avocados has exposed farmers to increasingly violent attacks, as gangs and drug cartels respond to “green gold”, a highly profitable industry in the country. Kidnappings, extortion and theft are now a present part of farmers’ lives in the North American country.

The EU and the US continue to be massive consumers of avocados worldwide, but demand for avocados is steadily increasing in China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. In China, net import of “cow-butter fruit”, as it is known, has risen from zero tons in 2001 to more than 32,000 tons in 2017.

A recently released analysis from Verisk Maplecroft, a supply chain link consultancy, warns that increasing global demand for the fruit has the potential to turn avocados into the latest conflict commodity.

43% of the world’s avocados are grown in Mexico. In Michoacán state, Uruapan city has made a name as the avocado capital of the world. Last year, avocado exports in Michoacán amounted to $2.4b.

Christian Wagner, Verisk Maplecroft America’s analyst said: “The similarities with conflict minerals are striking for companies that source avocados from the region.

“Association with killings, modern slavery, child labour and environmental degradation is becoming an increasing risk when dealing with Michoacán suppliers and growers, especially when establishing traceability is increasingly hard.

“From cultivation through to transportation, violence and corruption now pervade Mexico’s avocado supply chain – particularly in Michoacán, a longstanding hotbed for criminal violence.”

For gangs and drug cartels in Mexico, avocados are an added source of income. As the world’s largest producer of avocados, the conflict surrounding avocados are concentrated in Michoacán, where, according to Wagner, around 12 different cartel groups are fighting for control over the avocado-producing regions and their transport routes.

In Michoacán, avocado farming is far more profitable than farming other legal and illegal crops. According to local authorities, a gang had robbed a truck carrying a team of inspectors from the US Department of Agriculture at gunpoint in August.

Vigilantism has become the norm in Michoacán, as recorded thefts of trucks rose 600%, from 50 to 300, between 2018 and 2019. One local farmer turned vigilante said: “If it wasn’t for avocados, I would have to leave to find work, maybe go to the United States or somewhere else.”

For Christian Wagner, the Mexican government is partly to blame for the problem.

He said: “The government’s failed federal security strategy – which includes the creation of a new but under-resourced federal militarised police force – and the growing violence have driven local packers and growers to recruit and arm their defence forces, which operate outside of the law.

“This increases the risk of both more violence and the potential for human rights abuses and due process violations.

“The logistics side of the business is similarly exposed to criminal activity and associated disruption. Small criminal groups, lacking the resources to extort farmers or grow their product, have turned to hijacking avocado shipments.

“Michoacán state authorities report that an average of four truckloads get stolen, every day. Exporters and growers face both the losses of stolen product or equipment and the risk of death or injury to their employees, disrupting the business and increasing potential costs and liabilities,” Wagner continued.

The rise of violent attacks against the avocado industry is also a huge threat to the country’s economy. In the past ten years, climbing consumption of avocados in the US has raised parts of Western Mexico out of poverty. Nearly half of the USA’s imported vegetables and 40% of its fruits are also imported from Mexico. However, because of increasing violence and criminalisation of the avocado business, the United States recently warned that it could withdraw orchard inspectors to the region. Without USDA approval, farmers would be unable to sell avocados, and other produce, to the US.

Withal, as drug cartels wage a war for control over Mexico’s avocados, the likelihood multiplies for illegally and violently-obtained “green gold” to be sold to consumers globally.

“The risks associated with Mexican avocado production pose distinct supply chain management requirements for exporters and distributors worldwide,” Wagner concluded.

“Companies trading in avocados or avocado-based products are exposed to the violation of international or corporate best-practice standards on labour, sustainability and anti-money laundering and corruption.

“Given the power and reach of criminal organisations, however, and the inherent weakness of Mexican institutions when it comes to enforcement, companies will be unable to eliminate the risk of handling illegally-produced fruit.”

The West’s usual solution of boycotting an unethically-produced product will not work in the case of Mexico’s avocados. Mexico’s economy will suffer without its avocado exports, and its Western region will decline into poverty. The easiest solution, it seems, is for the Mexican government to invest a part of its avocado profits into better equipping and training its police.

L'articolo Avocados: The New Profitable Drug for Mexican Cartels proviene da InsideOver.